2009 Exploring the Dynamic Relationship Between Health and the Environment

The health of all species on Earth is largely determined by the complex linkages and interactions among organisms and the systems in which they live. Health and the environment are deeply intertwined for populations, species, and ecosystems, as well as for human lives and livelihoods. Human endeavors in agriculture, energy and food production, transportation, and infrastructure development can have far-reaching and significant impact on the health of humans and the environment. Understanding these relationships is increasingly critical in the context of our changing world and the accelerating loss of biodiversity.

The Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Milstein Science Symposium Exploring the Dynamic Relationship Between Health and the Environment presented a diversity of viewpoints and experiences, spanning the natural, medical, and social sciences, as well as policy planning. Presenters discussed knowledge/data gaps and the limitations of current approaches, and examined innovative methods that move beyond speculation to a grounded understanding of impacts and realistic solutions.

This symposium was proudly sponsored by the Paul and Irma Milstein Family. Additional support was provided by a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the United States Department of Defense, the Karen Katen Foundation and the Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series.

AGENDA

THURSDAY, APRIL 2

8:30 SESSION I

SETTING THE STAGE: THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT OF HEALTH
Kaufmann TheaterThis opening session is designed to present the broad conceptual framework for the symposium. Speakers will discuss the multiple relationships between health and the environment, introduce the concept of the global environmental burden of disease and its implications, outline the necessity for and difficulties in designing policies that benefit both health and the environment and present genomics technology and evolutionary biology as important tools in our understanding of the environmental context of health.

Session Moderator: Eleanor J. Sterling, Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, US

REMARKS -->> view video and transcriptEllen V. Futter, President, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USHoward P. Milstein, Chair, President and CEO, New York Private Bank & Trust, New York, New York, US

11:15 SESSION II
UNDERSTANDING COMPLEXITY: MULTIPLE AND INTERACTING STRESSORS
Kaufmann TheaterThis session will highlight that understanding the relationship between health and the environment necessarily entails looking at multiple drivers acting at the same time over human populations and the ecosystems that surround them. Speakers will discuss the impacts of climate change on wildlife ecology and zoonotic disease, the health effects of globalization and the multiple impacts of climate change on human health, with a focus on indigenous populations in Australia as a case study.

Session Moderator: Felicity Arengo, Associate Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York, US

2:00 SESSION III
A BALANCING ACT: DECISION MAKING, TRADE-OFFS, AND MUTUAL BENEFITS FOR HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Kaufmann TheaterSpeakers will discuss, the tradeoffs and choices necessary when implementing clean air policies and the role of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge in food security, nutrition and clinical health care., and an example of robust decision-making protocols. The panel discussion to follow will allow presenters to discuss additional areas in which co-benefits are necessary and possible, including urban planning, our relationship with the oceans and the links between wildlife and human health.

Session Moderator: Susan Perkins, Assistant Curator, Invertebrate Zoology and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York, US

5:15 THE 2009 MACK LIPKIN MAN AND NATURE SERIES POSTER SESSION AND RECEPTIONMilstein Hall of Ocean Life

7:00 THE 2009 MACK LIPKIN MAN AND NATURE SERIES PANEL DISCUSSION
IT TAKES A PLANET: CONNECTING THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE AND NATURE
LeFrak TheaterA discussion on the interconnectedness of human health and the environment—and our ability to respond to crises in both areas.

INTRODUCTIONMichael J. Novacek, Senior Vice President and Provost of Science, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York, US -->> view video and transcript

The Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series was established in honor of Dr. Mack Lipkin, Sr., by his many friends and admirers. Dr. Lipkin was a physician who was a gentle and powerful force towards advancing the most humane and caring practices of medicine. The Museum is proud to welcome Peggy Shepard and Peter Daszak as the 2009 Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series Fellows.

FRIDAY, APRIL 3

9:00 SESSION IV
PATHOGENS AND EVOLUTION
Kaufmann TheaterThis session will emphasize the importance of evolutionary theory, molecular techniques and genomics technology in our understanding of the relationship between hosts and pathogens.

Session Moderator: George Amato, Director, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, US

PANELISTSMartin J. Blaser, Frederick H. King Professor of Internal Medicine, Chair, Department of Medicine, and Professor of Microbiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, USRob DeSalle, Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USTony L. Goldberg, Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USKaren E. Nelson, Director of Human Microbiology and Metagenomics, Department of Human Genomic Medicine, The J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USOliver G. Pybus, Royal Society University Research Fellow, University Lecturer (elect) in Evolutionary Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
MODERATORGeorge Amato, Director, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, US -->> view video and transcript

2:00 SESSION V
LOOKING AHEAD: DATA GAPS AND RESEARCH NEEDS
Kaufmann TheaterThis panel will address data gaps and limitations of current approaches, as a way to suggest areas of potential interest to students and researchers in directing future research efforts and data sharing systems.

Session Moderator: Andrés Gómez, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, US

PANEL DISCUSSION

Moderator: Andrés Gómez, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, US -->> view video and transcript

3:45 SESSION VI
THE WAY FORWARD: PARTNERSHIPS, ALLIANCES, AND INNOVATION
Kaufmann TheaterThis panel will deal with the importance of forging partnerships among disciplines, and including the biomedical sciences, ecology, and public policy with local communities, in understanding the complex interactions between health and the environment and designing public health policy.

FORGING NEW CONNECTIONS AMONG ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCHOLARSWilliam C. Sullivan, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Director of the Environmental Council, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, US